Table Of ContentRespiratory Diseases Research at NIOSH
Reviews of Research Programs of the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Committee to Review the NIOSH Respiratory Diseases Research Program
Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology
Division on Earth and Life Studies
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Suggested citation: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2008. Respiratory Disesases
Research at NIOSH. Committee to Review the NIOSH Respiratory Diseases Research Program. Rpt.
No. 4, Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE NIOSH RESPIRATORY
DISEASES RESEARCH PROGRAM
Members
MARk UTELL (Chair), University of Rochester, New York
JOHN BALMES, University of California, San Francisco
PAUL BLANC, University of California, San Francisco
ELIzABETH CHAMBERLIN, Massey Coal Services, Chapmanville, WV
ROGENE HENDERSON, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute,
Albuquerque, NM
DAVID MANNINO, University of Kentucky, Lexington
JAMES MERCHANT, University of Iowa, Iowa City
JACqUELINE NOWELL, United Food and Commercial Workers International,
Washington, DC
CHARLES POOLE, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
RICHARD SCHLESINGER, Pace University, New York, NY
NOAH SEIxAS, University of Washington, Seattle
IRA TAGER, University of California, Berkeley
DAVID WEGMAN, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Staff
k. JOHN HOLMES, Senior Program Offcer
kARL E. GUSTAVSON, Senior Program Offcer
DAVID J. POLICANSkY, Scholar
RUTH E. CROSSGROVE, Senior Editor
CAY BUTLER, Editor
Mirsada Karalic-loncarevic, Manager, Technical Information Center
JORDAN CRAGO, Senior Project Assistant
MORGAN R. MOTTO, Senior Program Assistant
RADIAH A. ROSE, Senior Editorial Assistant
Sponsor
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
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Preface
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was estab-
lished by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to “conduct . . . research,
experiments, and demonstrations relating to occupational safety and health” and to
develop “innovative methods, techniques, and approaches for dealing with [those]
problems.” One component of these activities is the Respiratory Diseases Research
Program, whose stated mission is “to provide national and international leadership
for the prevention of work-related respiratory diseases, using a scientifc approach
to gather and synthesize information, create knowledge, provide recommendations,
and deliver products and services to those who can effect prevention.” Work-related
respiratory diseases are a serious problem of major magnitude. NIOSH indicates
that deaths from work-related respiratory disease and malignancies account for
about 70 percent of all occupational disease mortality.
In this report, the Committee to Review the NIOSH Respiratory Diseases
R esearch Program evaluates NIOSH’s Respiratory Diseases Research Program
(RDRP). Using a framework developed by the NRC Committee to Review the
NIOSH Research Program, this committee focused primarily on the last 10 years of
RDRP activities to review the relevance and impact of RDRP’s research portfolio.
In its evaluation the committee also discusses and makes recommendations for
upcoming research areas and challenges to be addressed by RDRP.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse
perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by
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the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is
to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in mak-
ing its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets
institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study
charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confdential to protect
the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following for their
review of this report: Lisa Brosseau, University of Minnesota; William Bunn III,
International Truck & Engine Corporation; David Christiani, Harvard School of
Public Health; Ellen Eisen, Harvard School of Public Health; Terry Gordon, New
York University; Joel Kaufman, University of Washington; Franklin Mirer, Hunter
College of the City University of New York; Roger McCarthy, Exponent, Inc.;
Gunter Oberdorster, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry;
Lorann Stallones, Colorado State University; and James Weeks, Advanced Tech-
nologies and Laboratories International, Inc.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive com-
ments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or rec-
ommendations, nor did they see the fnal draft of the report before its release.
The review of this report was overseen by the review coordinator Frank Speizer,
Harvard Medical School, and the review monitor, Mark Cullen, Yale University
School of Medicine. Appointed by the NRC, they were responsible for making
certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accor-
dance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully
considered. Responsibility for the fnal content of this report rests entirely with
the committee and the institution.
The committee gratefully acknowledges the following for making presenta-
tions to the committee: Michael Attfeld, Vincent Castranova, Paul Henneberger,
Kathleen Kreiss, Jacek Mazurek, Paul Schulte, Lewis Wade, David Weissman, and
Ainsley Weston, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Jim Cooper,
Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association; David Duebner, Brush
Inc.; Amanda Edens and William Perry, Occupational Safety and Health Admin-
istration; Franklin E. Mirer, Hunter College; George Niewiadomski, Mine Safety
and Health Administration; James Weeks, Advanced Technologies and Laboratories
International, Inc. The committee also thanks Raymond Sinclair, National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health, for serving as the liaison to the committee and
for his outstanding service and professionalism.
The committee is also grateful for the assistance of the NRC staff in prepar-
ing this report. Staff members who contributed to this effort are K. John Holmes,
Karl Gustavson, and David Policansky, study directors; James Reisa, director of the
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Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology; Ruth Crossgrove and Cay Butler,
editors; Mirsada Karalic-Loncarevic, research associate; and Morgan Motto, senior
project assistant.
I would especially like to thank the committee for their efforts throughout the
development of this report.
Mark J. Utell, Chair
Committee to Review the NIOSH
Respiratory Diseases Research Program
